COVID-19: Odisha Govt To Bring Back Migrant Odia Workers From Maharashtra

Bhubaneswar: Taking note of the situation in Maharashtra, where more than 300 people have died of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the Odisha government has decided to bring back the migrant Odia workers at the earliest amid the nationwide lockdown.

A decision was taken after Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had a video conference with his Maharashtra counterpart Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday afternoon.

Union Petroleum & Natural Gas and Steel minister Dharmendra Pradhan also joined the video conference from New Delhi.

It was decided that the Odia workers will be brought back to Odisha in special buses after a meeting between the chief secretaries of both states. A coordination committee of the senior officials of these two states will ensure the smooth return of the Odia workers.

The Maharashtra Chief Minister assured the waiver of road tax for the buses in which the migrant Odia workers will be brought. The same will be requested to the Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh governments.

It was also decided that the Odisha and Maharashtra governments will work together to ensure the safety of non-resident Odia workers.

The Odisha government has made registration mandatory for migrant Odia workers who will be kept in government quarantine and provided with all facilities.